thinking about fjorester and pikelan, the two ships that get flack for just being ‘you wore me down’ tropes, when in reality...jester’s relentless pursuit of fjord didn’t work, it was only after she stopped trying to wear him down and just acted like herself that he started to really fall for her. and now i’m watching this talk between pike and scanlan, where scanlan stops trying to wear her down and apologizes for idealizing her and asks if they can just be friends, and you can see the exact moment that pike realizes a new sort of fondness for him, and an almost disappointment in the way he encourages her to pursue someone else. idk idk i just like both of these ships a whole lot and they are actually such beautiful examples of why ‘you wore me down’ doesn’t work as a trope!
Going through my rewatch of Campaign 1 and I don’t know if it’s the late night, the caffiene, or the knowledge of 10 episodes in the future and the post-campaign reveals of certain facts but MAN the necklace Pike gives Percy (which she picked up several episodes ago) has me fucking WRECKED.
Marisha trying to make Keyleth juggle so she can have fun and Taliesin being like no you can’t just juggle, I spent too much time in high school learning! And Matt making her roll to juggle, which fails.
Summary: After a grueling fight with a demon out for revenge, Vex finds her brother suffering with an illness from an unknown source. (Alternate/expanded scene from episode 58)
Vex huffed a breath out through her nose and knocked on her brother's door. “Brother, are you awake? I just wanted to apologize and tell you your wings are really cool, and I feel really bad about shitting on them earlier, and it's super cool that you can fly now.”
She waited for his reply, but nothing came. Vex knocked again and pressed her ear against the door. “Vax? Are you in there?”
Still no answer, but she could hear someone moving around in the room. “Gods, please don't be naked again,” she muttered and shoved the door open. “Are you still sleeping?”
Her brother was little more than a miserable huddle on his bed, curled up with his arms around his stomach. Concerned now, Vex crossed the room to sit on the bed beside him and place her hand on his forehead. His skin felt clammy, and a little too warm. “Are you all right?”
He grunted and blinked up at her, eyes red-rimmed with dark bags under them. “I don't know.” His voice was thin and weak, and rough from lack of sleep. “I keep seeing it...the dagger, and Gilmore....”
Vex could have kicked herself. The rakshasha from the night before had taken Gilmore's appearance to try to kill Vax, of course it would have affected him. Hotis could have filled his head with all sorts of twisted lies that could still be haunting him. And then, she'd been so jealous over the stupid wings on his stupid armor that she hadn't even checked on him before they all went off to bed.
“How about some fresh air?” she suggested. “There has to be a balcony around here somewhere, and Percy can have food brought to us there. We'll take some time today, just you and me, and sort this out.”
Vax groaned at the mention of food and curled tighter around himself. Vex could hear his stomach gurgling and hastily grabbed the chamber pot to shove toward him as he started to retch. She propped him up when his arms threatened to buckle under him and held his hair out of the way, wincing as his body shuddered painfully as he brought up little more than bile.
“How long has that been going on?” Vex asked, after helping him lie back down. “Why didn't you get me? Or Pike, or Keyleth?”
He looked up at her, all pale and haggard and strangely fragile-looking. “Couldn't make it to the door,” he rasped. “Legs...legs just all wobbles.”
Vex sighed and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her brother's face. “You poor thing.”
Her mind was racing through what could have done this. The rakshasa's dagger was poisoned, but it hadn't seemed like anything long-lasting (and Vax would have known once he inspected it). Gilmore had assurefd them that the cursed robe Hotis had given Vax wouldn't have any kind of effect on him after it was removed. It could just be an illness, but the timing seemed far too convenient, and for him to be this sick today he would have been showing symptoms before now. Food poisoning was a possibility, but they'd all eaten the same thing and nobody else was sick...that she knew of.
“Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?” she asked. “I need to check with the others, maybe get Pike to come take a look at you?” She barely waited for him to nod before hurrying out his door and around the corner, nearly bowling over Percy on the way.
“What's the rush? What's wrong?” Percy caught her by the arms to steady her, studying her closely. “Did something happen?”
“Something's wrong with Vax,” she replied. “I don't know if he's sick or if it's from the fight, but I need Pike. Or Keyleth, at least.”
“I think they all went down to breakfast. Well, it would be lunch now, I suppose.” Percy gently pushed her back, half-turning her as he did. “I'll find them, you stay with him.”
“Thank you, Percy,” Vex breathed out in relief. Before he could answer, she turned and bolted back for her brother's room, hoping they could find something to sort this out in time.
It was already worse. In the short time she'd been gone Vax had been sick again, and, judging by the smell, that wasn't all. And it looked like he'd been trying to get out of bed, but hadn't even been able to stand up and just sprawled across the floor. Vex gingerly made her way to his side, stopping to grab the pitcher and towel from his washstand on her way.
“Percy's gone to find help,” she said, when he startled under her touch. He was even warmer now, eyes fever-bright and red splotches standing out on his pale cheeks. She knelt on the floor, ignoring the mess, and gently pulled his head into her lap so she could wipe his face with the dampened towel. “Darling, did you get any sleep at all?”
He shook his head, leaning into her touch. “I kept seeing...”
“Shh, I know.” Vex dipped the corner of the towel in the pitcher again and wrung it out to blot her brother's forehead. “Once Pike sorts this out you can take a nice, big nap with Trinket. How's that sound?”
Setting the towel aside, she stretched up to tug the blanket off of Vax's bed to wrap around him. She couldn't tell if he was shivering or shaking, but it struck her to her heart either way. “You'll be all right. We'll figure this out.”
She heard footsteps in the hall, and looked up in time to see Keyleth dash into the room, followed by Pike and Percy. “Oh, Vax,” Keyleth whispered, as Pike knelt by his side to place a hand on his forehead.
“I'm not sensing any injury or poison,” Pike commented. “I can try a healing spell?”
“Please,” Vex spoke up, when her brother didn't answer. “Please, Pike.”
Pike nodded. Her hands glowed with a golden light, echoed by the symbol she wore around her neck. “I'll have you fixed up in a second,” she said soothingly, and placed her hands on either side of Vax's face.
He seemed to relax as the golden light flowed through him, but as soon as it faded his face twisted up in pain and he tried to struggle to get out of Vex's lap. The chamber pot was out of reach, but she shoved the towel under him as he retched emptily. Pike had a hand on his shoulder, worrying her lip with her teeth, and met Vex's eyes with an uneasy expression.
“I don't think it's poison or illness...it could be a curse?”
Vex nodded. “Do you think it was the robe?”
“Not likely.” Percy was at her shoulder now, having retrieved a clean towel from somewhere, which he swapped with the dirty one. He balled the dirty towel up and dropped it in a corner, seemingly unconcerned at the mess. “What? I grew up with siblings, it doesn't bother me,” he added at her look.
“He's right,” Pike added. “Gilmore said the curse was contained to the robe. It couldn't affect him after it was removed.”
“Maybe we should get Gilmore here, or Allura,” Vex sighed. “I don't know anything about curses.”
“Um...I do?” Keyleth, still standing in the doorway, had one hand raised. “Well, I know a little, and I'm just learning how to break them. Anyway, there's this spell, and I have the stuff for it, but I've never done it on my own before? But if Pike could help me, maybe we could make it work?”
“Let's do it,” Pike jumped to her feet. “Show me what you've got.”
While they were gone, Vex turned her attention to Percy, who was busy stripping soiled linens from the bed to pile in the corner. “You have servants for that,” she commented.
“Yes, but that wouldn't make me feel useful,” he replied over his shoulder. “Besides, we made quite the ruckus last night. I don't think they're used to seeing so much of us.”
Vex was still rolling her eyes at Percy's dry joke when Pike and Keyleth returned. “Okay, okay,” Pike was saying, sliding to her knees next to Vax. “Keyleth's spell is kind of similar to one I learned back at the temple, so if we do it together it should be strong enough to break whatever this is.”
“Hopefully,” Keyleth added, kneeling on Vax's other side. She held her hands out, glittering dust cupped in each hand, which Pike laid her hands over. They focused for a moment as their hands began to glow. Bright golden light filled Pike's hands, mingling with the warm green from Keyleth's as their magic twisted together. The dust in Keyleth's hands sparked and seemed to dissolve into a kind of mist as she turned her hands over to press them against Vax's body, Pike's hands on top of hers.
“Oh, Everlight,” Pike whispered. “Drive out this darkness with your divine glory.”
Vax stiffened, shuddered once, then relaxed with a long sigh of relief. As Vex watched, color filled his face again, and when he opened his eyes to look up at her he seemed stronger, despite the obvious exhaustion.
“Vax?” Keyleth leaned over him. “Did it work? How do you feel?”
He groaned. “Tired...and disgusting.”
Vex let out a relieved laugh and met Keyleth's eyes. “He's all right. Thanks, Kiki.”
Keyleth sagged back, smiling, and gently patted Vax's side. “You should probably get some rest.”
“Bath first?” Percy suggested. He squeezed his way in between Vex and Pike to help Vax struggle to his feet. “Come on, I'll help you clean up.” Vax, though obviously recovered, still seemed a little unsteady on his feet as he let Percy help him out of the room.
“Take him to my room when you're done,” Vex called after them. “I promised him a nap with Trinket.”
Keyleth let out a whoosh of breath and shook her head. “I didn't know Hotis could do something like that.”
“All the more reason to track him down in whatever hell he landed in and end him once and for all,” Vex said, tightening her hands into fists. That was it. She wasn't letting Vax out of her sight until they killed the rakshasa permanently.
“Come on,” Pike tugged at her shoulder. “We'll help you clean up. Right, Keyleth?”
“Aw, man,” Keyleth pushed herself up and stared around the room dejectedly. “Doesn't Percy have servants for this?”
Percy gives me SUCH HEAVY pre-demon Will Herondale vibes and Vax gives off super strong post-demon Will Herondale vibes and now I can't stop seeing broody boi Will believing he's cursed blossoming into the one who started hoping again omg I'm crying now
